Friday, December 6, 2024
March 2, 1932 – October 26, 2024. Mary Jane Schoen Leder of Gleason, aged 92, passed away October 26, 2024 at Pride TLC in Weston while under the care of St. Croix Hospice services. We are grateful for the Medicare safety net, the staff at Pride TLC, and the comforting care provided by nurses of St. Croix Hospice service.
Mary was the third child of Leonhard and Amanda (Grosskopf) Schoen of Caroline, WI. She had two older sisters, and three younger brothers. Born on March second 1932, she took great pleasure trying to confuse medical receptionists by stating 32 - 32 when asked her birthdate.
Mary graduated from Marion High School in 1950, and subsequently worked briefly in Wausau as an insurance filing clerk.
She married Herb Leder, November 12, 1955 and moved to the Milwaukee area where Herb worked as a carpenter. They moved back to Herb’s hometown, Gleason, in the early 60’s to accommodate Herb’s maple syrup passion with five children under 8 years old in tow. Two more children were added to the family after the death of daughter Debra in December 1966 as the result of a car accident returning home from church.
Mary was a member of the SDA Church, attending regularly with her brood in tow. She was a kind, caring, nurturing mother who was an amazing cook and homemaker. She canned countless fruits and vegetables, as well as made all sorts of jelly and jam from the berries Herb picked in the wilds around Gleason. Additionally, every spring Mary would cook lunch meals for Herb’s maple syrup crew of 6 to 10 men. Not liking commercially made bread, she baked bread for the family, even while she had all those little ones under foot. We estimate that she made over 35k loaves of bread, baking past her 90th birthday.
Mary was an avid reader, as a child if she was unaccounted for, her mother would usually find her somewhere with her nose in a book. Two of her favorite subjects were flowers and birds, so it’s not surprising she relished reading Birds and Blooms. Mary enjoyed watching the birds at her feeder. She was quite vigilant about protecting the birdseed for the birds, shooting any squirrels that attempted to steal the seed. Her initial weapon was a .22, which was replaced by a .410 shotgun after she shot through the wall of the garage and broke a couple of syrup bottles. That incident did not instill much caution, as she later shot out the kitchen window with the shotgun. She had a green thumb, nurturing many houseplants and flowerbeds about her home.
Mary is survived by her brother Dennis “Tater” Schoen; son, David (Laurel) Leder; son, Robert (Penny) Leder; daughter, Nancy (Richard) Camara; son, Mark Leder; son, Karl (April) Leder; daughter, Carol (Keith) Acker; 11 grandchildren; and 5 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her daughter Debra Leder; sisters, Jeanette Bielke and Joyce Strelow; husband, Herbert Leder; her beloved Boston Terrier “Korky”; and brothers; Jerome and William Schoen.
Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial service Monday, November 25, 2024, at the Shepherds House Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 223900 Co Rd KK, Wausau, WI. Visitation will be from 9am to11am, with a service and meal to follow. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Audubon Society.
